powell



(No Model.)

D. G. POWELL. GRATER.

No. 594,424. v ateted Nov., 30, 1897.

Fries.

PATENT DAVID C. POWELL, OF MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFTO EDWARD J. POVELL, OF SAME PLACE.

GRATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,424, dated November30, 189'?. Application filed December 28, 1896. Serial No.6l7,23'7. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, DAvIDC. POWELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Michigan City, in the county of La Porte and State ofIndiana, havel invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Graters,of which the following is a specification.

The special object of my invention is to provide a grater, such as anutmeg-grater,

1o which may be held and operated by one hand and which has an improvedgrating-surface.

I-Ieretofore nutmeg-graters have usually been operated by both hands,and the gratingsurface has been formed by perforating sheet metal, so asto produce burs or annular ridges uniformly arranged around theperforations.

By my invention I provide a handle which is formed with a socket to holdthe nutmeg or other such object, and the grating-surface 2o isperforated and has projections, flanges, or cutters on one side only ofthe perforations, so that the grater may move easily in one directionwithout reducing the nutmeg, but when moved in the opposite directionwill z 5 produce the powder or granular material in the usual way. Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of my invention.Fig. 2 shows a vertical central section thereof. Fig. 3o 3 shows an endelevation of the lower part of the device. Fig. 4r shows a transversesection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view of part of thegrating-plate. Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal section on the line 6 6 ofFig. 5. Figs. 4:, 5, and 6 are on an enlarged scale.

The handle A is provided with a chamber a to receive and hold thearticle, such as a nutmeg, to be reduced in the grating device. Aplunger a is arranged within the chamber 4o a, and it is provided with astem a2, around which is arranged a spiral spring B, which rests againstthe plunger-plate a', surrounds the stem d, and extends up into a socketa3 near the end of the handle. The spring at all times tends to pressthe plunger c toward the lower end of the chamber a. The plunger may beprevented from moving too far downward in any suitable way,vas by meansof a nail a4, secured to the handle, as indi- 5.o cated in Fig. 2, andhavingits head arranged within the stem a2. Burs a5 may be cut in theplunger a to engage with the nutmeg or other article to keep it fromslipping. The handle is removably connected with a slide C, which has anannular fiange c, having a bayonet-joint c' with the handle.

The grating-plate D is secured to a supporting-plate d, which is curved,as shown, so as to form a chamber X, extending longitudinally throughthe device. 6o

The cylinder E is secured to the under side of the plate d, and itcontains a spring F, against the end of which a disk G bears, secured toa rod g, bent at g and secured to the slide C. The slide C is anged atc3, so as to embrace the edges of the plate d, and the arrangement issuch that the slide may be moved back and forth or reciprocatedrelatively to the plate d. When thus reciproeatin g, the spring F isalternately compressed 7o and released. At one end the cylinder isconnected with an upright arm H, which constitutes a means forreciprocating the slide and grating-plate relatively to each other. Theslide C iis provided with a large `opening at x, through which thenutmeg or other object may project, and the arrangement is such that asthe slide and the grating-plate reciprocate relatively to each other thenutmeg is carried back and forth over and in contact 8o with thegrating-plate, and lthe nutmeg is reduced in the usual way, the fineparticles passing out through the opening X to either end of the device.

The grating-plate is perforated, as usual, but insteadpf having burs ofthe usual form each of the openings y has a bur or cutter on one sideonly, as at z. By this arrangement a sharp edge is presented to thenutmeg when the plate is moving in one directionfor in- 9o stance, tothe right, as viewed in Fig. 2. When moving in the opposite direction,the nutmeg will slide smoothly over the top of the grater without muchfriction being pro.- duced. One advantage of this arrangement is thatwhen the plate moves to the right, as indicated in Fig. 2, it isv donepositively by the operator, but when the plate is moved in the oppositedirection it is moved by the force of the spring F. It is desirable torelieve 10o the spring from as much work as possible, so that a lightspring may be used and so that there will be no liability ofeloggingorbinding` In practice it is found most convenient to grasp the handlewith the four fingers, holding the end of the handle in the palm of thehand, while the thumb bears on the handlepiece H. In this way the thumbmay be moved rapidly back and forth when moving in one direction,causing the nutmeg to be reduced, and in the opposite direction thethumb will have no Work to do, but will simply advance with the handleby the f orce of the spring.

I claim as my invention- 1. A grater comprising a handle provided with achamber for holding the article to be reduced, a slide to which thehandleis removably Secured, a grating-plate, a cylindrical casingattached thereto, a spring in the casing, a disk wit-hin the easingagainst which the spring bears, a rod connecting` the disk with theslide, and a handle at the end of the grating-plate for moving thegratin g-plate against the face of the spring.

2. A grater comprising a handle provided with a chamber for holding thearticle to bc reduced, a perforated gratin g-plate having a bur orcutting edge on one side only of each perforation, sliding connectionsbetween the handle and the grating-plate, a thumb-piece secured to thegrating-plate and extending therefrom laterally on that side of theperforations on which the bur is located, and a spring for moving thatend of the grating-plate on which the thumb-piece is located away fromthe chambered handle, the arrangement being such that by the contractionof the hand the cutting edges of said perforations are forced againstthe article to be reduced, while the spring moves the plate in theopposite direction without performing the grating operation.

3. A graier comprising a handle having a chamber for holding the articleto loe reduced, and a socket for retaining a spiral spring, a springarranged in said socket and extending into the chamber of the handle7 aplunger having a hollow stem encircled by the spring, a rod secured atone end to said handle which projects into the hollow stern of theplunger to serve as a guide therefor, a stop on said rod to limit themovement of the plunger, a gratingplate, sliding connections between thegrating-plate and the handle, a spring for moving the grating-plate inone direction relatively to the handle, and a thumb-piece for moving thegrating-plate in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

DAVID C. POVELI.

\Vitnesses:

HENRY B. Mounts, DANIEL SHEA.

